The Burning Citadel

Tamara stands one step past the pinnacle of her life. Her sworn enemies lie annihilated beneath her feet. But even on the threshold of victory and vindication, the destroyers of her past reach out and unleash an unspeakable horror to even the score and nullify not only her life's work, but her very existence. Her future, a gaping blackness for which she never provided a plan. More

Tamara stands one step past the pinnacle of her life. Her sworn enemies lie annihilated beneath her feet. But even on the threshold of victory and vindication, the destroyers of her past reach out and unleash an unspeakable horror to even the score and nullify not only her life's work, but her very existence. Her future, a gaping blackness for which she never provided a plan. Was she pessimistic about her possibilities for success, or simply spellbound? Either way, her future may well disappear as thoroughly as her past into the jaws of an unquenchable hunger. Now, as she flees the deliberately smoldering ruins of her entire adult life, can she rise like the Phoenix or, enchanted wolves aside, will she lie unmourned and anonymous under a mountainous grave of stone?

Mike Pettengill has worked in the animation industry for the past 20 years, the lion’s share of which has been on "The Simpsons" television show as a Background Artist. Due to the nature of that work, he is completely incapable of drawing any of the Simpsons characters any better than you are, but he can draw their couch like no one else.

He began reading science fiction as an elementary and junior high school student, and started out on such series as E.E. “Doc” Smith’s "The Lensmen", and Frank Herbert’s "Dune". He has been writing fiction for over twenty years.

Mr. Pettengill, as he is known to the legal system of Los Angeles, is busily creating more stories, though now he works using burnt sticks, and writes in block letters on the insides of abandoned buildings. “Let’s see if they can copy this into Word,” he seems to say.